How does GIS make Christmas better?
Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to help others at Christmas time is not new. How do you think Santa makes it everywhere in such a short time? Talk about logistics!
Last year Dan Frizzo, one of Prein&Newhof’s GIS professionals, volunteered his time and talents to his church, Valley Family Church, helping organize the delivery of over 2,000 delicious meals on Christmas day to more than 500 locations.
Starting with an address list, Dan created GIS maps to identify each delivery location, allowing over 65 volunteer drivers, including members of the City of Kalamazoo’s police department, to make their deliveries. It took 130 individual delivery maps, a large overview map, and an Excel database to make this happen.
When Valley Family Church members came up with this idea, they knew right away that mapping would be critical for locating each address and organizing the delivery routes. Thanks to Dan’s talents and P&N’s GIS software, everything went smoothly. He began work this week on Valley Family Church’s 2013 Christmas dinner delivery.
Happy Holidays!